It wouldn’t be the Logies without a controversial opening and 2018 host Dave Hughes didn’t hold back during a lavish ceremony on the Gold Coast on Sunday evening.
The comedian, known for his work on radio and TV, went to town as he roasted anybody and everybody in Australia’s public eye. One of the first people oh Hughes’ hit list was Today star Karl Stefanovic, who caused outrage earlier this year when he was caught gossiping about his co-stars in an Uber.
“Karl it’s okay, you shouldn’t have been bitching about your work colleagues, I’m sure Georgie’s very happy with it,” Hughes told the audience. “Still on the fence Georgie or did you take a pail off and hit him in the head with it? Can you imagine Karl and his brother in the bunk beds at home as kids just talking smack about Mum? She’s outside the door going, ‘I can hear you d***heads.”
Next, he talked about Lisa Wilkinson’s decision to leave Channel Nine’s Today and move to Channel 10’s The Project for a much higher pay packet.
“Lisa, you left for pay parity, I know. You weren’t getting that were you? No. You are not getting at The Project either, you’re earning double. Don’t blame me for that joke, blame Carrie and Waleed.”
Politics were also a hot topic for the former Australia’s Got Talent host, where he took aim at Barnaby Joyce and his infamous Sunday Night interview.
“My favourite moment was when he was changing the nappy and Vicki his partner said, ‘He is surprisingly good at it.’ Is he Vicki? He’s got four other kids. He’s done it before,” Hughes said.
Things took a slightly awkward turn when he brought up Don Burke’s interview with A Current Affair after the star was linked to a series of sexual allegations.
““We had a lot of revelations from that,” he began. “We got the revelation that Don apparently has Asperger’s. No one knew about that, including his doctor. No, I love Don Burke. I love Don.”
Hughsey then had to correct himself, and explain that he didn’t love everything about the star, especially because of the serious allegations against him.
“I don’t love everything about him. Alright? Now I’ve taken myself to weird zone. Sorry.”
The star also poked fun at himself and the attention his hairstyle continues to get from people.
“I like it, it’s getting mixed reviews,” he told the crowd. “Someone put a photo of me next to Alice from The Brady Bunch and it’s a dead ringer, no doubt about it.”